A communal project that benefits as many tenants and leaseholders as possible. A few suggestions for potential schemes may include:

• Landscaping - any areas that would benefit from planting shrubs to grow flowers, fruit and vegetables and enhance wildlife for the community to then maintain.
• Site clearance - removing undergrowth to make the neighbourhood look tidier and be safer.
• Pathways - improve access to a communal building.
• Fencing - any small changes that would improve community security.
• Lighting - on a building or in a murky area that would make Residents feel safer.
• Signage - to make it easier for visitors to find you.
• Recycling - where the re-positioning or installation of containers would help keep the area tidier and make recycling easier.

Please note that these projects are for communal areas only and not for individual properties/gardens.

An application must tell us:

• About your idea or proposed project and what you think needs to be done.
• How it will improve your neighbourhood.
• Why your community will benefit.
• How you went about talking to those affected by your application.
• Who supports the project.
• How your community may continue to support and maintain the project once it is completed.
• A rough guess of how much your project may cost. Provide 3 different quotes from different suppliers if the first quote is over a sum of £3,000.
• Signatures from at least 80% of the tenants and residents of the particular area / estate in agreement to the proposed works.

Council tenants, leaseholders or community representatives will be able to apply for the grant from 1 January until 31 March each year.

If your application is successful, the estate/area will not be able to apply again for another 2 years.

There are three stages:

Stage 1

• Completed applications are submitted to the Housing Department of the council.
• The Environmental Panel who is a mixture of tenants and housing officers will then assess the applications to ensure they meet the guidelines.
• Those that meet the guidelines will go forward to the next stage.

Stage 2

• Housing officer, technical inspector and a tenant representative will visit each proposed project and ensure there are no technical problems in carrying out the project.
• The Environmental Panel will meet again and confirm which projects will go ahead.
• Once decisions have been agreed, all applicants will be notified of the decisions via letter or email.

Stage 3

• All successful applications will be carried out by contractors who gave the best quote for the work and will be supervised by the Tenant Participation Team.
• Once completed, the Environmental Panel will visit to make sure the project has been completed.